diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameConfig.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameConfig.java
index 5fe60c0b4..1e503a068 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameConfig.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameConfig.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: GameConfig.java,v 1.13 2002/10/06 00:53:15 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: GameConfig.java,v 1.14 2003/02/12 05:34:53 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.parlor.game;
 
@@ -40,15 +40,6 @@ public abstract class GameConfig extends PlaceConfig
      */
     public abstract Class getConfiguratorClass ();
 
-    /**
-     * Returns whether this game is a party game.  The default
-     * implementation returns false.
-     */
-    public boolean isPartyGame ()
-    {
-        return false;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Returns true if this game config object is equal to the supplied
      * object (meaning it is also a game config object and its
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameController.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameController.java
index 164308b56..60ee82357 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameController.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameController.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: GameController.java,v 1.20 2002/09/20 04:53:42 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: GameController.java,v 1.21 2003/02/12 05:34:53 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.parlor.game;
 
@@ -236,6 +236,15 @@ public abstract class GameController extends PlaceController
         });
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Used to determine if this game is a party game.
+     */
+    protected boolean isPartyGame ()
+    {
+        return ((_config instanceof PartyGameConfig) &&
+                ((PartyGameConfig)_config).isPartyGame());
+    }
+
     /** A reference to the active parlor context. */
     protected ParlorContext _ctx;
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameManager.java
index 47239e0b8..e9bdd4dc0 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/GameManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: GameManager.java,v 1.59 2003/01/03 02:47:33 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: GameManager.java,v 1.60 2003/02/12 05:34:53 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.parlor.game;
 
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
      */
     protected boolean needsNoShowTimer ()
     {
-        return !_gameconfig.isPartyGame();
+        return !isPartyGame();
     }
 
     // documentation inherited
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
     {
         // start up the game if we're not a party game and if we haven't
         // already done so
-        if (!_gameconfig.isPartyGame() &&
+        if (!isPartyGame() &&
             _gameobj.state == GameObject.AWAITING_PLAYERS) {
             startGame();
         }
@@ -773,7 +773,7 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
             // perfectly normal to receive a player ready notification
             // from a user entering a party game in which they're not yet
             // a participant
-            if (!_gameconfig.isPartyGame()) {
+            if (!isPartyGame()) {
                 Log.warning("Received playerReady() from non-player? " +
                             "[caller=" + caller + "].");
             }
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
     public void startPartyGame (ClientObject caller)
     {
         // make sure this is a party game
-        if (!_gameconfig.isPartyGame()) {
+        if (!isPartyGame()) {
             Log.warning("Attempt to player-start a non-party game " +
                         "[game=" + _gameobj.which() +
                         ", caller=" + caller + "].");
@@ -928,6 +928,15 @@ public class GameManager extends PlaceManager
         protected byte _level;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Used to determine if this game is a party game.
+     */
+    protected boolean isPartyGame ()
+    {
+        return ((_gameconfig instanceof PartyGameConfig) &&
+                ((PartyGameConfig)_gameconfig).isPartyGame());
+    }
+
     /** A reference to our game config. */
     protected GameConfig _gameconfig;
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/PartyGameConfig.java b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/PartyGameConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58e92771c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/parlor/game/PartyGameConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+//
+// $Id: PartyGameConfig.java,v 1.1 2003/02/12 05:34:53 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.parlor.game;
+
+import com.threerings.parlor.data.TableConfig;
+
+/**
+ * Provides additional information for party games.
+ */
+public interface PartyGameConfig extends TableConfig
+{
+    /**
+     * Returns true if this party game is being played in party game mode,
+     * false if it is not.
+     */
+    public boolean isPartyGame ();
+
+    /**
+     * Configures this game config as a party game or not.
+     */
+    public void setPartyGame (boolean isPartyGame);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an array of strings that describe the configuration of this
+     * party game. This should eventually be rolled into a more general
+     * purpose mechanism for generating descriptions of game
+     * configurations as well as editors for game configurations (which
+     * already exists in rudimentary form).
+     */
+    public String[] getPartyDescription ();
+}